Wednesday, July 23, 2008

REVIEW: Doomsday


Doomsday

Year: 2008
Director: Neil Marshall
Starring: Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, David O'Hara, Craig Conway, Adrian Lester
Distributor: Rogue Pictures
MPAA: Rated R

When I first saw the trailer for Doomsday, I thought it looked kind of cool. Sure the story seemed un-original and dark, but it still looked like a fun movie. Not only that, but the director of this movie directed The Descent which alot of people said was pretty good. I pretty much enjoy watching low budget movies like this because I think they can be somewhat fun at times. Luckily my friend had seen the movie before me and convinced me to not see it. He thought it was decent, but not worth paying 10 bucks for. So I waited for the inevitable DVD release in which I can give a review for.

Plot Outline:
It's 2035 and a deadly virus has turned Scotland into a massive isolation center populated by crazed tattooed people. When the virus unexpectedly reoccurs in London, female cop Eden Sinclair (Rona Mitra) is recruited by her boss Bill Nelson (Bob Hoskins), to go over the wall into Scotland once her homeland in the hope of finding an antidote. She takes with her a crack team of soldiers to find the one man still inside who might have found the cure. But life behind the wall has changed over the past years and not for the better. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking to save Britain.

Plot:
The story of Doomsday is decent at best. The plot feels like a mix between the Mad Max movies and 28 Days Later. The film doesn't do anything new to set itself apart from many other movies in the same genre. The story sounds interesting on paper and even looks that way at the start of the film, but it really isn't. It tries too hard to accomplish too little. Theirs too much going on with many things happening from one corner to another. We have crazed tattooed people in the first half than it introduces us to medieval type people in the second. It would have been better if the story just stuck to one path instead of throwing more ideas in. The ending also feels a bit weak and could have been better. With that said, the movie can still be somewhat fun. Theirs alot of action and good explosions. I like how the crew made the film so bloody and gory. There are plenty of scenes that show some awesome, but bloody kills. I also found the film to have some character development in the main character even though it really isn't much.

Cast:
The cast of Doomsday is about average. Rhona Mitra plays as Eden Sinclair. I'm not sure if she was right for this role and I think someone else could have easily filled her shoes. She doesn't give a performance that wowed me, but I still thought she was decent as her character. Shes also very damn sexy in this film. I know she always looks good in her movies, but she looks fantastic here. Bob Hoskins plays as Bill Nelson and he does a pretty good job. I don't think he gave it his best like he did in Unleashed, but I think that was just the script and not him. David O'Hara plays as Michael Canaris and he seems flat here. His character is so dull and mostly un-interesting. Craig Conway plays as Sol and he does a decent job here. I think he gave a performance that I thought looked right, but his character is way too over the top. I found it really surprising that his character managed to become the leader of the infected people.

Picture:
The visual look of Doomsday is really good. The film was just released a couple of months ago so its source is in great condition. I didn't notice any film grain and thought the image was pretty smooth from start to finish. Colors seem slightly muted at times, but also very vibrant in a couple scenes. The color black is very strong in the film which shouldn't come as a surprise since most the scenes are at night. The scenes we have in the day are also wonderfully lit and pretty cool to look at. Skin tones seem accurate and tend to have a warm feeling. Detail is surprisingly really good. For a movie that's mostly at night, I wasn't expecting the detail to hold up well, but I was wrong. Close up shots show alot and car explosions look nicely detailed.

Sound:
The soundtrack in Doomsday is also very impressive. The original music is done by Tyler Bates who also did the soundtrack for the 2004 Dawn of the Dead and 300. His score for the film isn't used as much as I would have liked, but it still sounds pretty good. It goes well with the atmosphere of the film. Their are also plenty of other music in the movie. I haven't seen a movie that had this much music in it. There all good and fit nicely with whats going on in the scene. The bass is also great at times. While I wouldn't consider it demo material, but its still packing enough punch to satisfy you. The movie has many action scenes including a car chase near the end and all of this meets the bass. It delivers on being loud and aggressive.

Conclusion:
Doomsday doesn't do anything new to set itself apart from others. It takes the ingredients from films such as Mad Max and 28 Days Later to combine it into one. The story although entertaining at times isn't really good with too many things happening. The cast is decent with most of them giving out performances that are average at best. I still think Rhona Mitra is hot as hell in this movie. The visual look of the film is really good with alot of nice colors and detailed scenes. The soundtrack is lively and is always used. Each scene features music that goes well with whats going on. I wouldn't recommend this movie for those seeking something great. It might be a rental at best just for those fun scenes.

Grade: D+

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i didnt like the movie either. I thought it was ok, but not great. nice review farzan